Frozen In Time
by IanaLy
Summary: I was so mad that Yuffie and Vincent didn't become a couple. Vincent can't help flushing when he's around Yuffie. He's known he has feelings for her for quite some time, but now they're intensifying. He's been bothered about making the wrong choices. Can he make the right one? After DoC, VincentXYuffie, rated T to be on the safe side.


**A****N: **I can't believe I'm actually posting this*sigh*. I sincerely hope you like it. Since English is not my first language please tell me for any errors that I had missed or was simply too lazy to fix.

**Frozen In Time**

_People should grow old. Time makes them. Though, why hasn't it made me? I'm older than most of the people I know; yet there is no evidence that portrays that. Only my memories and words show that. Why don't I age? Am I not human? No, I'm not. I'm a monster._

Vincent Valentine exited the room, his spirits still as low as ever. His 'friends' had noticed that he grew more and more distant every day. It was for a purpose. Even though he would not admit it, he grew quite fond of them and it pained him that he would have to see them age and fade while he would not. It was selfish of him, but what could he do? Besides they did not need someone like him. He was the Past and the past wasn't something pleasant that people would want to dwell in. Not in this world. He walked away, thinking that the others were to preoccupied to notice, but before he made it to the first road, a young girl stood before him, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked pointing an accusing finger

It was Yuffie. Vincent was used to getting scolded by her, though it never ceased to amuse him. She was something. He could feel a warm flush fill his face. What? Was he blushing? He couldn't be having feelings for this girl.

"That's right, you should be ashamed of yourself!" she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the bar.

Were it any other day, he would shake her off and go his own way, yet something was stopping him. Could it be...love? The very idea of it was preposterous? Monsters like him were only tools of destruction nothing more. Somehow any of this wasn't making him any lighter. Now closing himself away would be even harder.

"Ah, Vincent. Decided to join us after all." Tifa said cheerily form behind the counter as she handed out glasses of wine.

"You sure you're old enough to drink, Yuffie?" Cid teased and couldn't help smiling as the mentioned girls' face flooded with annoyance.

"I'll have you know I turned 18 quite some time ago, if you haven't been paying attention!" she shouted.

"Shhh!" it was Tifa's turn to be annoyed "It's late and Marlene and Denzel are upstairs sleeping."

"Sorry..." Yuffie and Cid hung their heads in shame. Tifa was the scariest in their bunch. The combined wrath of Vincent and Cloud was no match for hers'.

"Anyway, where's Cloud?" Yuffie asked, only now noticing he was gone.

"He's on delivery duty."

And so they continued for another 4 hours, Cid being quite drunk in the end and Vincent barely touching his wine. He was concerned for this new developed feeling he had towards Yuffie. He thought he had loved Lucrecia, but this was something completely different. It went much deeper, disturbing his very core. The feeling wasn't new. He had it for quite some time. Since the day he met her, to be exact. But now it was intensifying._ No one shall escape time. Monsters like me were meant to fight, but can we also protect?_ It was futile. Even if he did...love...Yuffie, she would never love him back.

_Where am I? I'm dreaming again. I'm always here. This is the only place that gives meaning to my very existence. "You must choose..." What? Who? "...And be content with the choice you make for all eternity." I don't know what am I supposed to choose? I have chosen so many wrongs. I have regretted my every decision. I will not let that happen again. I shall choose right this time... No matter what! I have let my mind choose instead of my heart... My mistake..._

Yuffie was driving towards Midgar. She hated driving. She had motion sickness, big time. She could have asked Cid to fly her there. No. Not an option. With his flying she would get sick before they even took off properly. Now what? She was lost. All the roads seemed hopelessly gray with occasional cliffs here and there. No significant landmark to tell her where she was or where the hell she was going. Suddenly she heard a soft purr behind her, like that of a great big cat or a tiger. Slowly the Wutai ninja reached for the shuriken on her back and once that was in her hand she jumped on her first opponent with bewitching speed. They were huge cats, standing somewhere 15 feet in height with long black claws, yellow, pupil less glowing eyes and long sharp teeth. Their fur was mainly gray, with black stripes covering it at random intervals. And there was a lot of them. She spun, doing a twist in the air unleashing her shuriken in the first animal. Black blood stained the floor as the creature dropped, lifeless. Yuffie picked up her weapon as she slided underneath one of them, only to hit the next one square on the head. Before she could aim for another one a heavy paw swept her into a nearby rock...

Vincent was standing on top of a cliff staring at the gray sky, when he saw Yuffie being thrown around in the fashion of a rag doll. He wanted to get down there and wipe those beasts out of existence. But he stopped. Suddenly he felt sick. _"You must choose..." _He knew whose voice it was now. Lucrecia! How could he choose and yet he already had. _I'm sorry, Lucrecia. I made my choice long ago. _Vincent propelled himself off the cliff. _"...And be content with the choice you make for all eternity." _He had finally made a right decision. He had been denying it for so long, but there was no point in it any longer. _I love Yuffie! _He plunged himself straight in front of a cat, which was about to take a bite out of Yuffie. He could feel its' sharp teeth seep into the flesh of his shoulder, causing him immense pain, which he would endure ten times over if it meant keeping her safe.

"Vincent..." Yuffie went wide-eyed in shock and astonishment.

He gave a small wince before letting a bullet into the thing's abdomen. Then he jumped into the air, ignoring the pain in his torn shoulder and the blood seeping down his arm. He knew the wound was deep, but didn't care for it now. From above he shot the beasts one after one as Yuffie demolished them from the ground. Soon they were standing amongst dead cat bodies. Vincent turned in order to go away.

"Oi, wise guy. You need to get that shoulder treated you know."

There it was again. Her telling him of. He turned to face her, face flushing involuntarily.

"What gives? There you go flushing again."

"I...I..." Vincent could not believe he was actually stammering. This time it was Yuffie's turn to flush.

" You know...Ever since the first day we met, I've always wanted to do something." she walked closer.

For a moment Vincent stood frozen in time. What was she about to do? She pulled his head down and stood on her toes and... kissed him? He could not believe it. First he was shocked. She actually liked him. He returned her kiss.

"Thank you, for saving my butt." Yuffie said once their lips parted.

"Aren't I a little to old for you." Vincent joked.

She was surprised that he actually made a joke. " Shut up." was all she could come up with to say as she kissed him once more.

_Maybe I am a monster, a monster frozen in time. But it is better to be a monster who knows how to love, than a human without a heart._

**A⁄N:** I'm so happy I got this done! Please, review! At least I hope Yuffie IS 18. Well whatever. Happy endings. You know what they say. If it isn't happy it's not yet the end!


End file.
